The state of internet marketing by apparel retail stalls in Nairobi`s central business district

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Abstract

The growth and spread of internet at an extraordinary pace over the past few decades has
resulted in an increase in usage for various purposes including marketing. Internet as a
marketing tool provides significant opportunities for business entities to increase market
access for their products. The aim of this study was to establish the state of internet
marketing by apparel retail stalls in Nairobi's Central Business District. Descriptive
research design was used in this study which facilitated a clear understanding of the
promotional methods used by these retailers. The sample size used was 81 retail stalls.
Primary data was collected using questionnaires from the stall owners or stall managers
who run the marketing operations. The collected data was analyzed using frequencies,
percentages, means and standard deviation. This study found that a majority of apparel
retailers in Nairobi‟s Central Business District still relied mainly on personal selling to
promote their products. There seems to be lack of awareness of the range of opportunities
offered by internet marketing for increased market access. The study established that
internet marketing was used to a moderate extent by the apparel retailing stalls. The
researcher concludes that to improve market access by these retailers there is need to
improve on internet marketing as a method of promotion. This study recommends
awareness creation for internet use in marketing, improvements in ICT literacy levels and
use of popular social sites for marketing.